Ore Processing, Anyone?
by Alidar Jarok

OK, there are a lot of Ore Processing decks out there. And there are a few Obsidian Order decks out there too, but this one is different - it doesn't depend on Plans of the Obsidian Order and mission stealing. Here, the skill is used to solve missions, and to help staff the occasional ship. Perhaps its not the most efficient deck out there today, but it's rather well-rounded, and it hasn't failed me yet (sure, I only played it in one tournament, but I won it. ;-) )

Seed Deck

Facilities / Doorways (4)

Central Command
Nor
Space-Time Portal
Q's Tent

Most of the action takes place around the Nor. However, Central Command gives you a few free card plays, and can back you up in case your Nor gets commandeered or destroyed.

Sites (6)

Ops
Security Office
Infirmary
Science Lab
Ore Processing Unit
Docking Ports

Yes, I chose the Ports over the Pylons. This means that the Keldon Advanced ships can't dock here. However, it's easy to ferry your personnel with either the Groumall or a standard Galor ship, and you can download those smaller ships as well. OPU not only allows you to Process Ore, but attempt Mining Survey as well. Science Lab lets you scan Mining Survey, and the Infirmary lets you download the MEDICAL Cardies, who have most of the skills needed on planet wall dilemmas. Note that the lack of Guest Quarters and Promenade Shops makes your Nor a little more difficult to board.

Other Seed Cards (4)

HQ: Secure Homeworld
Fair Play
Sisko 197 Subroutine
Mirror Image

Cardassia isn't hard to solve using HQ: Secure Homeworld - Dukat provides almost all the skills, and he reports for free at Central Command. Plus you could potentially steal the mission if your Bajoran (or Borg) opponent uses it, as it's in almost every Bajoran deck. Because you tried to seed it, it will not be protected by Fair Play. Fair Play is there to protect most of your missions, plus your Q's Planet. As for Mirror Image, well, I include it in every deck I made since it's just so incredibly useful, and it's still used quite a lot. 197 is there for added protection for your Nor, which the deck centers around.

Missions (6)

Bioweapon Ruse
Mining Survey
Alter Records
Orb Negotiations
Establish Station
Verify Evidence
Military Exercises (Best replacement candidate)
Search For Weapons (Best replacement candidate)

Only two missions need Obsidian Order. However, Mining Survey is worth a lot considering its requirements, plus it's relatively safe from mission theft and you can capitalize off of the Science Lab's special feature while processing ore. All Verify Evidence needs is Dukat and just a little bit more CUNNING (or a Tricorder). Bioweapon Ruse is rather simple considering the high point value (especially if you get Madred into play), but keep in mind that it can be stolen by a Cardassian opponent.

Dilemmas (22)

Dilemmas are totally up to you. No strategy in this deck depends on your dilemmas. Just go with your best 3- and 4-card combos. There's enough room for an Artifact here, if you wish to include one.

Draw Deck (43) Keldon Advanced x2 Aldara Prakesh Dukat Enabran Tain Elim Garak Turrel Korinas Entek Danar Damar Borad Jasad Dejar Dakol x2 Perak Derell x2 Ghoren x2 Lore Galen Roga Danar Madred Retaya Vekor Q's Tent x4 Process Ore The Traveler: Transcendence Red Alert! Kevin Uxbridge Q2 Full Planet Scan x3 Palor Toff - Alien Trader x2 Scan	Q's Tent (13) Groumall Gilora Rejal Ulani Belor Madred Q's Planet Horga'hn Dead End Reflection Therapy Regenerate Intermix Ratio The Devil Full Planet Scan Wormhole
Obviously, you should seed your Nor at Mining Survey, and set up Ore Processing as soon as possible. Then it would be a good idea to attack Mining Survey itself if possible - you get to "peek" at the dilemmas using Science Lab, and it doesn't take that many personnel to solve it. Damar is very useful with his Physics and ENGINEER, and Ghoren is your key source of Geology in this deck. It's not that bad for a 40 point mission. It's also nice in that it's difficult to steal - you have to control a Nor with an OPU at that location. This means that your opponent can't attempt it unless he seeds his Nor there, or if he takes over yours (which is slightly difficult with your Sisko 197 Subroutine).
The second mission I often go for is Bioweapon Ruse. If you can get Madred into the attempt, you can complete it with an ENGINEER and a couple extra strong personnel, and get yourself 40 points for your troubles. That's why I included two Madreds in the deck - one in the draw deck, and the other in the Tent. Unfortunately, since he's one of the "Pre-Cardassian Cardassians" and hence is Non-Aligned, he cannot be downloaded. Fortunately, with Ore Processing going, you should draw him before long, and at worse you'll draw a Q's Tent. Even if the Away Team dies to a combo like Lack of Preparation / Chula / Sheliak / Q, you should have enough SECURITY and definitely the Obsidian Order to complete it with your backup team.

It would be helpful to get out Q's Planet and the Horga'hn as soon as possible. Place it between two universal Space missions as a Black Hole defense if it's there. Otherwise, well, I've noticed that recently people haven't been stocking dilemmas in their Tents, and that The Devil is getting less and less common. Plus, Fair Play protects your Q's Planet from your opponent, so he can't get the Horga'hn no matter what. This will allow you to trample your opponent, but it's by no means necessary - its often nullified rather quickly in half the games I play. But even one extra turn is worth it, plus it prevents your opponent from getting a cheap artifact grab or Colony location as well.

The draw deck might seem a little large at first, but it's not all that bad. Plus, you'll draw it quickly using Ore Processing. The Red Alert is there to report the personnel after a number of turns of Ore Processing, if you find it necessary. That, plus you could just feed off of your opponents' - I think I used Red Alert in three of my four games last tourney, and I never even played mine. That's what the Mirror Image is for, which I am still forced to use quite often in my games.

Though this deck is primarily a mission solver, like just about all of my decks are, it can initiate a battle or two if things go in your favor. The Keldons are strong and fast (and you'll almost always have at least one Obsidian Order in play), all without requiring extra cards to boost their stats. If you see a Galaxy-class ship cruising along, solving missions, why not let your evil side show for a turn or two? And if you find that you're totally outmatched offensively, you always have the Cloaking Device to fall back on. This way you can move without being attacked, uncloaking when you're ready for that final mission attempt.

Speaking of the Keldons, they're two of the very few cards that can't be reported to your Nor. I didn't find this to be much of a problem, as I often had two people at Central Command from the free card play it offers. All that I needed to do was report the ship there and an Obsidian Order personnel, and I'm up and running. For Nor docking, you could easily use one of your Galors or the Groumall. However, if you really don't want to use the Keldons, you can substitute them with other Galors. However, that would ruin the theme of the deck, plus you might have to consider adding in Ready Room Door and all the enhancers that it downloads.

Jolan tru,
Alidar Jarok
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